Christians travelling from Western Europe to the East during religious warfare with medieval Muslims had children with local women, a study has found.

These mixed families were short-lived however, with brutal battles wiping out the offspring and modern-day inhabitants showing no relationship to the Crusaders.

Analysis of DNA extracted from nine skeletons dating back to the 13th century shows the family members often died together in battle from horrific wounds.

Scroll down for video

The Crusades were a series of wars fought between 1095 and 1291, in which Christian invaders tried to claim the 'Holy lands' of the near East. Modern-day inhabitants of the region where the Crusades took place have no genetic evidence of interbreeding with Crusaders from the west

The Crusades were a series of religious wars fought between 1095 and 1291, in which Christian invaders tried to claim the near East. Analysis of DNA extracted from nine skeletons (pictured) dating back to the 13th century shows the natives and Crusaders did interbreed

The Crusades were a series of wars fought between 1095 and 1291, in which Christian invaders tried to claim the 'Holy lands' of the near East.

It's known that nobility led the Crusades, but historical records lack details of the ordinary soldiers who travelled to, lived, and died in the near East.

A total of 25 skeletons dating back to the 13th century were found at a burial pit in Sidon, Lebanon, and all who died there were male.

They suffered broken bones and skulls and their bloodied carcasses were burned.

Three of these people who met a gruesome death were Europeans from all over the continent, four were near Easterners and two individuals had mixed genetic ancestry, suggesting they were the descendants of mixed relationships between Crusaders and near Easterners.

Share this article

The violent deaths indicates they died in battle and is a likely explanation as to why the Crusader bloodlines ran dry after only a handful of generations in the Near East.

Alongside the pit was a separate head - bereft of a body.

Experts at the Wellcome Sanger institute who published their research in the American Journal of Human Genetics believe this severed head was likely of an individual infected with a disease and thrown into the ranks of the opposition to lower morale and spread illness.

The remains were also found with a number of relics such as shoe buckles and coins which were carbon dated to the time of the Crusades.

A total of 25 skeletons dating back to the 13th century have been found at a burial pit in Sidon (pictured), Lebanon and all were males who died with broken bones and skulls and their bloodied carcasses burned

Three of the people at the site met a gruesome death were Europeans from all over the continent, four were near Easterners and two individuals had mixed genetic ancestry

Crusaders travelling from Western Europe to the East as part of the religious missions in medieval times fathered children with local women but made no lasting impact on the genetic landscape in the long term (file photo)

Dr Chris Tyler-Smith, from the Wellcome Sanger Institute, said: 'Historical documents tell us the names of the nobility who led the Crusades, but the identities of the soldiers remained a mystery.

'Genomics gives an unprecedented view of the past and shows the Crusaders originated from western Europe and recruited local people of the near East to join them in battle.

'The Crusaders and near Easterners lived, fought and died side by side.'

Researchers took DNA samples from modern-day inhabitants of Lebanon and compared it to the DNA from remains during the Roman era and the time of the Crusades.

The mixed remains suggests they were some descendants of mixed relationships between Crusaders and near Easterners

The violent deaths indicates they died in battle and is a likely explanation as to why the Crusader bloodlines ran dry after only a handful of generations in the Near East. Alongside the pit was a separate head - bereft of a body

Researchers took DNA samples from modern-day inhabitants of Lebanon and compared it to the DNA from remains during the Roman era and the time of the Crusades. They found people today resemble the Lebanese-Romans and not the mixed descendants from the Crusades

They found people today closely resemble the Lebanese-Romans and not the mixed descendants from the Crusades, indicating the religious quest had no lasting impact on the genetic diversity in the area.

Extracting DNA for this analysis was an extremely difficult task which required bone fragments to be shipped to a Cambridge laboratory where the remaining genetic material was extracted from the temporal bone in the skulls.

Dr Claude Doumet-Serhal, Director of the Sidon excavation site in Lebanon, said: 'I was thrilled to discover the genetic identities of the people who lived in the near East during the Crusades.

'Only five years ago, studies like this would not have been possible.

'The uniting of archaeologists and geneticists creates an incredible opportunity to interpret significant events throughout history.'

A total of 25 skeletons dating back to the 13th century were found at a burial pit in Sidon, Lebanon and all were males who died with broken bones and skulls and their bloodied carcasses burned

WHAT WERE THE CRUSADES?

The Crusades were a series of religious wars fought between 1095 and 1291, in which Christian invaders tried to claim the near East.

It's known that nobility led the Crusades, but historical records lack details of the ordinary soldiers who travelled to, lived and died in the near East.

Pope Urban II started the First Crusade (1096–1102) in order to aid the Christian Byzantine Empire, which was under attack by Muslim Seljuk Turks.

Europeans captured Jerusalem in 1099 as a result and Muslims quickly unified against the Christian invasion.

Muslims firmly controlled Jerusalem by 1291 and it remained in Islamic hands until the twentieth century.

The Crusades set the stage for several religious knightly military orders, including the Knights Templar, the Teutonic Knights, and the Hospitallers.

These groups defended the Holy Land and protected pilgrims travelling to and from the region.

The Crusades were a series of religious wars fought between 1095 and 1291, in which Christian invaders tried to claim the near East. It's known that nobility led the Crusades, but historical records lack details of the ordinary soldiers (file photo)